Truck cartel

Expertise regarding the amount of compensation submitted

The affected parties must present a concrete amount of damage which they suffered as a result of the illegal price agreements of the truck manufacturers involved in the cartel.

The expert commissioned by us has submitted his competition-based report: Depending on the truck and its equipment, he was able to determine a so-called "overcharge" of about 10 percent. For the truck inspected by the appraiser this means a damage assessment caused by the illegal price agreements of around 7,000 euros each.

We and the cooperating lawyers will now assert claims for damages for our clients and file corresponding complaints. Everyone involved will receive an individual report related to the respective truck.

All truck owners who have not participated in the survey so far can do so immediately, provided that the vehicles in question were bought or leased from 2002 onwards.

We were able to conclude a new order with the expert, which allows us to offer a fee of 100 euros net per truck for the appraisal.

Therefore you should act quickly that you can benefit from the expertise.

More information about the status of legal proceedings concerning the truck cartel is also available HERE.

Truck-Cartel

My company purchased or leased trucks from the manufacturers in question between 1997 and 2011. I request an initial consultation from a KWAG lawyer free of charge.

Customers massively cheated by price fixing

Commercial vehicle manufacturers Daimler, DAF, Iveco, MAN, Scania and Volvo/Renault profited from illegal price fixing for years. In summer 2016, the EU Commission penalised them for this with a record fine of almost €3bn. Scania was penalized in September 2017 with €880million (You find the press release of the EU-commission regarding the case HERE). MAN, a member of the VW group, only avoided a fine by cooperating in the investigation of the truck cartel and how it operated.

In the period between 1997 and 2011, the illegal price fixing damaged customers because the manufacturers unlawfully avoided competition which would have benefited buyers.

If you purchased or leased a truck with a total weight of more than six tons from one of these manufacturers in the period in question, you can claim compensation.

In cooperation with other law firms, we are already preparing compensation claims for several hauliers and logistics companies. Here, we are working together with trade associations in the traffic and transport industry not only in Germany but also in Italy, Poland, Spain and other EU countries . To achieve a powerful pooling of resources, we are also interested in cooperating with your company's current legal advisors.

Building on our motto "work locally, act nationally, benefit together", we now draw on a network of expert contacts throughout the country. So, if you have already taken legal advice in the past, e.g. regarding transport and haulage law, it would be a good idea for your lawyers to get in touch with us on this issue.

For more information on this cooperation between lawyers against the truck cartel, see ourpress release (In German only).

The basis for your right to compensation is § 33, Subs. 3 of the German Act against Restraints of Competition (GWB). This law eases the burden of proof through so-called binding effects. This means it is no longer necessary to prove the existence of a cartel. Instead, the courts are bound to the findings of government authorities.

For more information on the easing of the burden of proof, click HERE. We have issued a KWAG INFO on the current status, which you can download HERE. Both in German only.

Simply contact us if you purchased or leased a truck of the make Daimler, DAF, Iveco, MAN, Scania or Volvo/Renault in the period between 1997 and 2011.

Please note: The period of limitation for purchases from 1997 to 2001 might have expired in January 2017. Please contact us for further information.

For an initial consultation free of charge, all we need is the purchasing or leasing contracts for the vehicles in question. If you hold a legal insurance policy for your business, we will be happy to make the necessary enquiries for you about the extent of the costs covered.

Simply use the form at the top of this page to quickly request an initial consultation, which is free of charge for you, whatever the outcome.